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Inca Trail Machu Picchu

I took on the iconic 4 day 3 night Inca Trail Expedition a month before my 70th birthday.

It has a number of physical challenges but acclimatization, or acclimating, is very important.

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A young, fit friend recently arrived in Cusco and suffered such bad altitude sickness that her dream of doing the Inca Trail were shattered when she had to return to sea level to recover.

Cusco is located at 3 400 metres (11 000 feet) above sea level and on the hike you crest two mountains classified as “very high”. One of 4 215 metres (13 700 feet) and the next at 4 000 metres (13 000 feet).

The hike was tough but rewarding. It was an opportunity to meet and bond with some fantastic people and like everything in life the occasional a..hole. There are many groups hiking but to preserve the trail and prevent overcrowding there is a limit of 500 people on the Trail (this includes the porters, guides and hikers).

We went with Alpaca Expeditions a highly professional, locally owned and run company. The company was started by Raul Ccolque, a young Peruvian, who started as a porter worked his way up to becoming a tour guide and now is the owner and active manager of a successful and growing business.

Our Group

Our group of 12 was an interesting mix. Three Canadian paramedics and a nurse, a New Zealander mom and her outstandingly strong son, two young, nearly qualified American doctors, a Canadian mining engineer, a young Dutch intrepid traveller and my friend Roger (who we’d been travelling the world with for the last 8 months) and myself.

The mix of personalities and ages made this an interesting and entertaining 4 days.

We were led by an outstanding guide Juan Carlos ably assisted by his young assistant Max. Their support and encouragement was invaluable.

Juan Carlos was a great story teller and ran a very tight schedule. With his “family” “packs on”, “packs off”. Passionate and entertaining stories about the Incas and their history (and his contempt for the “lazy Spanish”) made the hike educational and entertaining.

The hike is 45 kilometres or 28 miles – although the t-shirt says 26!.

The Inca Trail Expedition

After a 04:10 am pickup and a 2-hour drive from Cusco the Inca Trail hike starts after breakfast at Piskacucho at Kilometre 82. The breakfast was our first experience of the delicious and varied food we would enjoy over the next few days.

The first day’s 14 kilometres are described as “Moderate Difficult” and take about 6 to 7 hours. The Difficult section is after lunch as it’s a steady uphill walk.

The second day of the Inca Trail is described as “Challenging”. It covers 16 kilometres and includes two steep climbs. The first up to Dead Womans Pass at 4 215 metres (13 779 feet) and after plunging down into the valley for lunch there is another ascent up to Runkuracay pass at 4 000 metres (13 123 feet). These are followed by a final downhill section to the camp. At times I felt quite light headed, with a slight headache that came and went and felt the effect of some old injuries.

The third day is 10 kilometres. The first section undulates until going over the final pass at Phuyupatamarca at 3 680 metres (12 073 feet). Then the painful section known as the “Gringo Killer”. It’s about two and a half hours of downhill steps. Different heights, different widths and requires unwavering concentration. My legs suffered the killing effect the next morning.

The final day of the Inca Trail is interesting … but confusing. We were woken at 03:00 am so we could get down to the checkpoint as one of the first groups … we were second as the one in front of us had got there at 2:30 am!!! The main reason of getting there early is to get on to the trail before the crowd but also there is limited shelter and during the wait until 05:30 am when the gate is opened standing around and in the rain is not pleasant.

Once the gate is opened there’s a fast 1-hour hike to Sun Gate. A few of us dropped back from our main group and were soon passed by some “runners” who seemed intent on getting there as soon as possible. We failed to see why as it was rainy, very cloudy and misty … there would be no sun at the Sun Gate.

In this final section there’s a short but very steep uphill section of steps which are climbed like a ladder.

The Magnificent Unforgettable Machu Picchu

From the Sun Gate the path downhill to Machu Picchu takes about an hour. It had been raining and in sections was quite slippery. As we descended we were met by the first hordes of day visitors making their way up to the Sun Gate.

The clouds cleared and we had our first sighting of the majestic Machu Picchu. After a 2-hour guided tour of the site and more history and cultural immersion by Juan Carlos some of the group did the extra hike up to Huayna Picchu mountain.

By now my legs were very tired and sore and the rest of us wandered around Machu Picchu before taking the bus to Aguas Calientes for lunch. The long trip back to Cusco started after lunch. A 2 hour train trip to Ollantaytambo and then the 2-hour bus drive back to Cusco.

Final Thoughts

Over the 4 days you visit a number of Inca sites. With the highlight being Wiñay Wayna (mini Machu Picchu) which is visited in the afternoon of the third day. We had the place to ourselves. Time to marvel at the engineering and ingenuity and to roam around without the crowds.

The hike was tough and arriving at Machu Picchu an unforgettable experience.

Tips

We hired walking poles and air mattress and sleeping bag. The most critical was the walking poles. I’d never used these before and without them would have had extreme difficulty – especially on the steep downhill steps.

Beware that there are sand fleas (around the camps when wearing sandals or flip flops) … their bites are small but itch intensely for days.

A number of people had upset stomachs which was attributed to both the high altitude, exertion and the amount and variety of food eaten … but who knows?

The only negative aspect of the trail are the available toilet facilities … they are gross!

Alpaca Expeditions is an outstanding company and very highly recommended.